Parent Hawk Talk
August 24th - 28th
Principal's Notes
Happy Friday, Hobby families!
It is amazing how quickly a school shifts from “Welcome back!” to “Let’s get to work and learn together!” This smooth transition is a testament to the dedication of our teachers and staff—and to our students’ eagerness to learn.
We had a wonderful turnout at Tuesday’s Open House for seventh- and eighth-grade families. Based on our sign-in numbers, it was our largest turnout in years! Thank you to everyone who joined us. If you were unable to attend, we have more family engagement opportunities coming soon. Please see the counselor section below for details.
Next week brings even more excitement as football and volleyball games begin! We will also hold our first School Advisory Team and Parent and Family Engagement Committee meetings. These committees give families a meaningful voice in strengthening our school and creating more opportunities for families to connect with the Hobby community.
We would love to welcome two or three additional parents to each committee. Meetings are held once a month on Mondays at 5:00 p.m. If you are interested in participating, please let me know. We would be grateful to have you join us!
Have a wonderful weekend full of Positive Purple Power,
Your proud principal,
Greg Dylla
From Hobby Magnet
✨ What a Great Start to the School Year! ✨
We hope your school year is off to a wonderful start! We want to make sure we keep the lines of communication open, clear, and reliable between home and school, so we’d like to share a quick update on the best ways to reach our team.
Email is Best for Direct Messages: Email remains the absolute best way to reach our teachers if you need a response, have questions, or want to discuss your student's progress.
ClassDojo is for Announcements Only: We will use ClassDojo to send out quick classroom reminders and general updates, but teachers will not be using the direct messaging feature.
Why the Shift? Middle school looks a little different than elementary school! Because our teachers work with up to 160 students each day, they spend the vast majority of their time actively teaching. Keeping up with real-time text chats on ClassDojo simply isn't sustainable, and we never want to risk missing an important message from you due to teaching schedules or spotty notifications.
Need to Make Same-Day Schedule Changes? Because teachers are busy in the classroom, ClassDojo should never be used for urgent or time-sensitive matters. If you have an immediate need or changes to your child's daily pick-up routine, please contact the Magnet Office directly, and our administrative team will try to get the message where it needs to go right away.
Thank you so much for your partnership, understanding, and support as we work together to give your children a fantastic school year!
From Your Academic Dean
Happy Week 2!
We have had so many great conversations about the best ways to support your children, and we are so grateful for your partnership. Here is a quick look at what is happening on campus this coming week:
MAP Math Testing (Tuesday):
Please make sure your student gets a good night's sleep on Monday, eats a healthy breakfast, and arrives at school on time and ready to show what they know! MAP Reading will be on September 1st.
Active Learning in Classrooms:
Our leadership team will be visiting classrooms this week to see our "Hobby Hawk" learning goals in action. Teachers are making sure every lesson has a clear beginning and end so students always know what they are learning and why.
Campus Fun:
"Triple T Tuesday": Ask your child about the weekly trivia questions on the morning announcements! This week's focus is English Language Arts. Students who share the correct answers with campus leaders get entered into a prize drawing.
Thank you for sending us such wonderful students every day. Let’s make Week 3 great!
🤝 Join the Hobby PTA!
Our Parent-Teacher Association plays a huge role in supporting our school and community. Please consider joining today if you have not already!
From APO
Every Student Should Have An ID
IDs have been handed to every student on campus. These IDs are essential in maintaining a safe and secure environment. The IDs are color coded by grade level and allow us to quickly identify all students.
IDs have some perks on campus.
Students can sit outside at lunch with an ID
Quicker checkout at the library or in the lunch line.
Receive school discounts at local stores when they have sales.
Quicker check in and out on the bus
Priority to visit the library in the morning
Office Hours
Office Hours are 7:45 am - 4:30 pm
From Your Counselors
Can you believe we are already heading into our third week of school? It has been wonderful watching our students settle into their routines, make connections, and dive into their learning.
As our classes get fully up and running, we want to make sure every classroom remains a steady, supportive place where teachers and students can focus on learning together. To help protect these growing classroom communities and keep routine changes to a minimum, we want to ensure that you are aware that any and all schedule change requests will be thoughtfully reviewed on a case-by-case basis and require approval from our administration team. Our main goal is to set your child up for a happy, successful, and confident school year.
The counseling team will begin delivering their introductory “Howdy” lessons through Social Studies classes beginning on September 3rd. We look forward to visiting with all of our Hobby Hawks!
SAVE THE DATE:
1st Parent Cafecito of the 2026-2027 School Year
Friday, September 11th @ 8:40 am
Thank you so much for your ongoing support, partnership, and encouragement as we build a great year for our students!
From The Library
📚 What's Happening in the Library?
We are off to a great start! Library orientations are underway, students are learning how to navigate the library and collection, and—most importantly—books are already getting into students' hands! 💗📖
🌅 You Asked, We Listened — Morning Library Starts Early!
We've had so many students asking, "When can we come to the library in the morning?" that we've decided not to make them wait!
Due to popular demand, the library will open for morning student visits beginning Monday, August 24! 🎉
Students should be in the cafeteria by 7:50 AM to receive a guaranteed library pass. Space is limited, so students wanting to visit should arrive on time.
Morning library time is perfect for:
📖 Reading or finding a new book
📚 Checking out or returning books
💻 Quietly completing schoolwork
🌟 Starting the school day in a calm space
✨ Let's Keep the Good Library Vibes!
Families, please remind your students about the morning library vibe before they visit! We want the library to be a calm, welcoming, and positive place to start the day.
Students are expected to use appropriate voice levels, respect others and the library space, follow staff directions, and make choices that allow everyone to enjoy the library.
Students who repeatedly do not meet these expectations may lose their morning library privileges. Let's start the year with positive energy and good habits so everyone can continue enjoying the space!
🎒 What's in Your Backpack to Read?
We're working together to build reading stamina and a stronger reading culture across our campus.
Students should have at least ONE library book in their backpack at all times so they always have something ready to read!
Graphic novels? ✔️ Manga? ✔️ Mystery? ✔️ Fantasy? ✔️ Sports? ✔️ Nonfiction? ✔️ Chapter books? ✔️
Reading is reading! The goal is to help students find something they enjoy while building the habit and stamina to read regularly.
I'll be checking in with students throughout the year, so families can help too by asking:
"What's in your backpack to read?" 📚
🎉📚 Save the Date: LibraryPalooza Author Reveal Party!
August 30 — Get Ready for the Big Reveal!
The LibraryPalooza Author Reveal Party is coming up on August 30, and parents, students, and staff are invited to attend!
Come find out which authors will be featured at the upcoming LibraryPalooza! 👀📚
You—or your student—may already be a fan of one of the authors or recognize a favorite book. It's also a great opportunity to discover someone new and start reading their work before the big event!
Get excited, start making your reading lists, and come see who's coming to LibraryPalooza! 🎉📖✨
🚌 We're Working on Transportation for Hobby Hawks!
I'm also working to arrange bus transportation for Hobby students to attend the upcoming LibraryPalooza event! My goal is to make this incredible reading experience as accessible as possible for our students and give more Hobby Hawks the opportunity to meet authors, celebrate books, and experience LibraryPalooza in person.
Transportation details are still being worked out, so please stay tuned for more information as plans are finalized.
We're looking forward to another year of making the library a place where our Hawks can read, learn, explore, create, and feel welcome. 💗📚
📧 Let's Stay Connected!
If you ever have questions about library services, need book recommendations for your child, or simply want to connect, please don't hesitate to reach out.
I'm looking forward to another wonderful year of reading, learning, and growing together.
Happy Reading! 📚🩷
From The Nurse
Texas required screenings
- I will be conducting our annual Texas required screenings. If you have completed the SB12, I thank you and if it has not been done, please notify me by email Purificacion.Montes@nisd.net if you do not want or your student is already being seen by a physician for your student to be screened Vision, Hearing, Acanthosis Nigricans, Ht, Wt, and Spinal Screenings
Order Your Hobby Yearbook
Meet Your Yearbook Staf
Upcoming Events!
Scouting America Troop 498 Open House
Is your student interested in adventure, leadership, camping, and making new friends? Come learn more about Scouting America Troop 498 at their upcoming Open House!
📅 Monday, August 31
⏰ 7:00–8:30 PM
Families are invited to come meet the troop, learn about scouting, and discover the exciting adventures and opportunities available to scouts.
🏕️ Discover the Adventures!
Learn more about the activities, experiences, and opportunities Troop 498 has to offer.
📍 Location
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
4201 De Zavala Rd
San Antonio, TX 78249
Interested in attending? Please RSVP using the QR code on the flyer.
We hope to see you and your family there!
🐾 Top Cat Dance Intensive – October 3
Calling all dancers in grades 6–12! Join the Clark High School Top Cat Dance Team for a fun and exciting Dance Intensive designed to help students learn new combinations, freshen up their technique, and experience what it’s like to dance with the Top Cat Dance Team!
📅 Saturday, October 3
Clinic: 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Showoffs: 12:00 PM
📍 Clark High School
💃 What to Expect
Students will have the opportunity to:
Learn new dance combinations
Work on and improve their dance technique
Learn from the Clark Top Cat Dance Team
Showcase what they learned at the end of the clinic
💰 Registration
$35 – Online registration before October 3
$40 – Registration the day of the clinic
Payment options include cash, card, or money order.
🏈 Special Halftime Performance
Students in grades 6–8 will have the opportunity to perform at halftime with the Clark Top Cat Dance Team during the Clark vs. Madison football game at Farris Stadium!
This is a great opportunity for students to learn, have fun, and experience a day with a high school dance team.
📧 Questions?
For additional information, please contact:
Lauren Rost
Lauren.Rost@nisd.net
Important Athletic Information
If your child is interested in trying out for a sport this year, and is enrolled in 7th or 8th grade athletics, there is mandatory paperwork that must be completed before they can be eligible to participate.
An athlete cannot try out for a sport before completing ALL UIL paperwork found on the parent portal. (link below)
STUDENTS NEW TO ATHLETICS:
All incoming students that did not have a medical physical last year MUST complete a medical physical and give a copy to the head coach on campus. The physical form can be printed from the parent portal, or from the links provided at the bottom of this information sheet. The medical history form must be completed online. Print the completed medical history and the physical form and take both of those papers with you to the doctor when you get your physical. Make a copy of the medical physical and turn it into the head coach. You do not need to turn in medical history, but must complete it online.
*Rank One Parent Portal Information/Instruction Sheet
*Asthma Action Plan (Required for students diagnosed with asthma.)
*2026-2027-rank-one-forms.pdf (154.52 KB)
*2026-2027-physical-form.pdf (403.86 KB)
26-27 Athletic Schedules
Parent Resources
School Supply List
School supply lists for the upcoming school year are available. To view your child's grade-level supply list, please click the link below:
Transportation
To secure bus transportation for the 2026–2027 school year, eligible families will be required to register their students in advance.
Families can use the Buses & Boundaries System to determine whether their physical address qualifies for bus transportation.
Families new to Northside ISD may register for bus transportation when completing the New Student Registration process beginning January 20, 2026.
Currently enrolled families will register for bus transportation during the Returning Student Registration process beginning March 16, 2026.
Eligible students, both new and returning, must register for bus transportation by June 30, 2026, to guarantee transportation services for the first day of school.
- Bus transportation for eligible special education students will be scheduled separately at the campus with the case manager during the ARD meeting.
- Students enrolled in magnet schools who require transportation must also register for these services.
BUS ROUTES AND TIMES WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE APP BY AUGUST 3RD
Dress Code: Dress for Success!
Dress Code: Dress for Success School staff recognizes that parents bear the primary responsibility for setting standards for their children’s dress and grooming. However, because of health and safety factors, the influence of dress and grooming on students’ attitude and behavior, and because of the need to prevent disruptive influences and preserve the academic environment of the school, student dress and grooming are appropriate concerns of teachers and administrators. The district’s dress code is implemented (Section D); therefore, students will be expected to follow the guidelines set forth by the district. Dress code standards are extended to extra-curricular activities held on the campus. In an effort to promote a safe and positive school environment which is conducive to learning, students should wear appropriate clothing that will not cause disruptions in learning or safety. Inappropriate, indecent, suggestive or distracting clothing will not be allowed. *Final determination of acceptable dress code and grooming rests with the Principal or his/her designees.
Please Note
Part of supporting our students’ academic and social growth involves maintaining a disruption-free learning space. With that in mind, we want to gently remind our community about our campus dress code expectations—specifically regarding student hairstyles.
Starting this term, we will be fully aligning our campus practices with our NISD dress code policy:
Expectation: Hair must be neat, clean, and kept in a way that does not cause a distraction to the teaching and learning environment.